Authors: Jamie Begley
“Willa, she loves me. She told me so, and she wrote me into her will.” Rider flipped him off.
“Don’t get cocky. She’ll write you out of it next month.” At least she had settled down about changing her will weekly since Diamond had gone up on her rates. Now she only did it every month.
“Maybe, maybe not. She said she thinks I’m special.”
“You are. You only have one brain cell left from that weed you smoke, and it’s struggling to survive. She thinks of you like a kid brother,” Lucky mocked.
“No, she doesn’t. Besides, I’m older than her.”
“Chronologically, not mentally.”
Rider looked at him suspiciously. “What in the fuck does that mean?”
Lucky rolled his eyes. “I rest my case.” He laid his hand of cards on the table, leaning back to gloat a little himself as he raked in his winnings then looked at his cell phone again.
“Want me to text her?” Rider offered, taking out his cell.
“If she won’t text me, why would she text you?”
Rider ignored him, texting Willa.
A sudden thought came to Lucky’s mind.
“Why do you have Willa’s number?”
Rider didn’t look up from texting. “I text her a couple of times a day.”
“What in the fuck do you text Willa for during the day?”
“I don’t always text her. Sometimes, she texts me.”
Lucky decided he was going to have a long talk with his wife when she arrived home.
“She text anyone else here?” Lucky gazed around the table at the brothers who refused to look at him. He barely looked at the cards that Viper dealt him. Turning in his seat, he looked at Train sitting at the bar, playing with Jewel’s nipple.
“Does Willa text you?”
“She has a couple of times.”
Lucky turned back around, staring down at his cards and frowning. Not paying attention, he bet too much on the hand. Showing his cards, he drank the rest of his beer as Rider smirked, gathering his winnings.
“Relax, brother, we’re just fucking with you. Guess I’m not as stupid as you thought.” He waved the cash he had just won under his nose.
The sound of the front door opening was the only thing that saved Rider from the ass-whipping he was about to get.
Shade walked in with Lily, Winter came in slightly weaving, Beth wasn’t in much better shape, and Diamond and Rachel each seemed sober yet had a glazed look to their eyes. Willa was the last to come in. She had left looking sleek and elegant, but coming back, she looked like a holy mess. Her hair was messed up, one side higher than the other. The handkerchief that had been placed between her breasts was missing, leaving her cleavage on display, and her beauties were barely held in place by the red bra that was showing.
The other wives went to their husbands, while Willa totally ignored him.
Winter tugged Viper’s arm. “I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”
“You drink some beer?” Viper teased.
“Yeah, that’s it. Let’s go,” she hissed, nodding her head toward the stairs.
“O … kay.” Viper went toward the steps with his wife who couldn’t leave the room fast enough.
“Let’s go, Shade. Stori’s waiting for us, and I need to feed John.” Lily tried to tug her husband along.
“You go along. I want to drink a beer. You don’t need me to feed John.”
Lily threw her husband a wild look before fleeing the room.
Lucky was beginning to have a suspicion that something wasn’t right when Willa, instead of greeting him, went to Moon who was sitting on a chair with Ember sitting on the arm, rubbing her hand under his T-shirt.
Willa leaned over the chair, placing a hand on each arm. Moon’s eyes lowered, his mouth dropping open.
“Knox, I’m ready to leave,” Diamond tried to coax her husband up from the card table.
He tugged her down onto his lap. “I’m not.”
“Cash…” Rachel began.
Cash threw his arm over her shoulder. “Vixen, I’ve lost two hundred dollars tonight, and I’m not leaving until I get my money’s worth.”
Lucky stood up, wanting to hear what his wife was saying to Moon.
“Did you or did you not make a bet with my husband?”
“He wasn’t your husband when we made the bet,” Moon replied, unable to raise his eyes to meet hers.
“I see.” Willa turned to face Lucky with her hands on her hips.
“Siren … If you have something you want to know, ask me.”
“Don’t ‘siren’ me.” He heard the barest trace of a tremble in her voice. “You were going to share me with Moon, and he wasn’t the only one you were going to share me with.”
Not one tear glistened in his wife’s eyes. The only thing he could see there was hurt.
“Willa, let me explain.”
“Is that new bike you’ve been riding the one you won in the bet?”
“Yes, but—”
“Did you tell Jenna you liked her frosting better than mine?”
Lucky’s face paled when he saw her hand unconsciously go to her breast. He knew she had been told he had done the same thing to Jenna that he had done to her.
“Yes … Please, listen to me—”
“Smiling or hurting, which one am I doing now, Lucky?” she whispered.
He took a step forward. “I only bet Moon to make him stay away from you. Hell, Willa, half the town’s in love with you. Dustin can’t stay away from you, Alec ate junk food for you, Rider wants to know what you’re doing all the time, and Moon’s been driving back and forth between Ohio and Kentucky just to get a glance of you. So, yeah, I bet him before we were engaged. I kept telling myself that I was doing it to protect you from him, but I lied to myself. God knows I lied to myself from the moment I looked up from reading my sermon and saw you sitting in the church with the sun shining down on you. I was going to marry Beth just so I could keep you safe from Bridge.”
“What?” Beth gasped.
“I wouldn’t have let him hurt her any more than I would have you,” Lucky explained, “but I was so close to breaking that I was afraid, if I didn’t marry Beth, I would seduce you. I kept telling myself what I felt for you was a figment of my imagination, because I was undercover for so long. But I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want my ring on anyone’s finger but yours, despite the lies I told myself.
“I took the bike and have been riding it, yes, because I paid Rider for it. He finally agreed to sell it to me.” He ran his hand through his hair. This was going to be the hardest part to explain.
“Yes, I told Jenna her frosting tasted better than yours. I lied, and you know I did, but that’s not what has you so pissed. What has you so mad is that I did the taste-test the same way.”
His voice went achingly soft. “I’m going to tell you something that’s not easy for a man to admit. The only way I could touch that woman or any woman was to pretend it was you under me. That doesn’t make it right, and it’s pretty shitty, I know, but it’s the truth. I fucked up with how I treated you from the beginning. I should have realized what I felt for you wasn’t going away. I should have dealt with Bridge a long time ago. I didn’t want another man’s death on my conscience. But the hardest part was what God was trying to tell me all along.”
“What?” Willa whispered.
Lucky took a step forward. “When I heard His voice that day in church, I misunderstood. I thought He was telling me to do more, to give of myself more.”
“He wasn’t?”
“No, He was trying to tell me I would
have
more. He wanted me to see that I would have more brothers than I could count, that I would have a town I would be more than content in, that I would have one I’d love. But most of all, He showed me that I would have more than a wife by my side. I would find a woman who would take my soul and give me hers. I would have more, much more, than I ever expected and much more than I damn sure deserve.
“Ask me how much I love you,” he choked out, praying she would ask.
“How much do you love me?” she repeated.
Lucky held his arms open as wide as he could. “This much.”
Willa gave him a watery smile, stepping into his arms, which he closed tightly around her.
“Do you really think her frosting tastes better than mine?”
Lucky came to the conclusion that he was never going to understand his wife if she was too shy to ask the real question.
“No, siren, no one makes better frosting than you,” Lucky said truthfully.
“Let me see your hands.”
Chapter 37
“Are you sure about this?”
Willa jumped when she heard Lucky’s question from the other side of the bathroom door.
“I’m sure.” Willa made her voice sound firm, but inside, she was trembling with nerves. She wasn’t afraid of Lucky; she just didn’t want to disappoint him. She didn’t want to come up short compared to the other women he had played with before.
“If you’re not afraid, why aren’t you coming out?”
“I’m just finishing up what you told me to do,” Willa lied. She had finished showering and wiping herself down with alcohol ten minutes ago.
Her hand went to the doorknob. So help her God, if she opened the door and he bore any resemblance to Jack Nicholson in
The Shining
, she was going to lock herself in the bathroom, screaming the safe word he had made her pick.
She slowly opened the door to see Lucky leaning against the bedroom wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was only wearing a pair of jeans, his face hidden in the shadows of the bedroom, giving him a dangerous appearance she wasn’t so sure was merely an illusion.
Her heart stuttered when she saw the selection of knives laid out on the nightstand with a pitcher of ice water and a glass. What was that for? To throw on her if she passed out?
The bedroom lights had been turned out with candles providing dim lighting. The bed had been turned down, and he had even changed the sheets to red silk.
Willa’s hands tightened on the belt of her robe. “What do you want me to do?” She bit her lip, unable to take her eyes off the bed.
Lucky’s loud sigh drew her attention from the wanton sight that was beginning to have an effect on her body.
“Willa, let’s forget it. We can try it another night. The purpose of a scene is to heighten your arousal, not frighten you to death.”
“No, I want to do this, Lucky. You promised.”
Lucky straightened from the wall, walking toward her. His masculine beauty never failed to make her pussy quiver in need, overriding her fear.
Lucky reached out, curving his hand around the back of her neck and pulling her toward his body.
“If we’re going to do this, you have to give me something to help you.”
Willa eagerly nodded her head.
“What’s your fantasy, Willa? The one in the back of your mind that you think about when you’re daydreaming or I’m fucking you?”
Willa shook her head. “I don’t…”
Lucky reached down, raising her hand and showing the crossed fingers.
“Tell me, siren.” Lucky’s voice deepened, going from a request to a command.
Willa turned her head so she couldn’t see his reaction. “Pirates.”
“Pirates?”
She nodded. “You know, they wear leather pants and vests, have tattoos—”
“I know what they wear.” Lucky’s gentle voice had her chancing a glance at him. “You never stood a chance, did you?”
She shook her head, understanding what he meant. Lucky resembled a modern-day pirate with his sharp features and tattoo-covered body.
“I’ll be right back.” Abruptly, he left the bedroom door, closing it behind him.
Willa stared at the floor in consternation. He could have just told her he wanted to laugh in her face; he didn’t need to leave the room to do it.
She was about to turn to go back into the bathroom when the bedroom door was flung open and Lucky came in carrying a plain, leather vest.
“Mine has patches. I took one that Viper bought for a new recruit. I’ll buy him another one. Don’t you dare tell me you’ll find one on sale, or I’ll smack that ass of yours.”
“Don’t forget to shut the door.” Willa usually checked to make sure the door was locked when Lucky wasn’t looking. She was paranoid a gust of wind would blow the door open and she would look up when Lucky was making love to her and find a couple of The Last Riders watching.
“In a minute, I’m waiting for—”
Willa nearly ran to the bathroom, but Lucky caught her. “Trust, siren. Remember that, okay?”
“Okaaaay.”
Lucky turned her back to the doorway where Rider was standing, wearing black leather pants and no shirt. He was also holding a gleaming sword, that was held confidently in his hand.
“Why did I have to put these on? I almost couldn’t fit in them anymore. I have to quit eating so many cookies or start working out more.” He gave Willa a wink, grinning.
“You have a sword?”
“I like to collect different objects. I had it hanging on my bedroom wall.”
“It’s scary-looking.” Willa stared at the long, thin sword.
“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” Rider appeared happy at what he thought was a compliment. It wasn’t.
“I’ll be right back.”
Willa watched as her husband went to the dresser where he kept his clothes, opening the bottom drawer and pulling out a pair of black leather pants. Without saying a word, he went into the bathroom to get changed.
Willa spun back to face Rider.
“Dinner was good tonight,” he said casually.
“Th-Thank you.”
“Next time, could you fry more chicken breasts? Razer ate three of them, Shade two, and I only got one. Stingy bastards.”
“I saw you get three chicken legs,” Willa reminded him.
“I like more meat. There isn’t enough on a leg.”
Willa took a step back. “I’ll remember that.”
“All right, let’s get started,” Lucky announced, coming out of the bathroom in the leather pants. “Shut the door, Rider.”
Willa expected Rider to go out the door and close it behind him; instead, he closed the door and turned to face them expectantly.
“Willa, go stand by the bed for a minute while I talk to Rider.”
She was about to argue, but then she remembered she had her safe word if she began to feel uncomfortable. Of course, she had no problem screaming it at the top of her lungs, either.
Warily, she watched the men as they talked. She looked down, rubbing her toes through the thick carpet, trying to overhear what they were saying.